GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Teshia Griswold scored 17 points and Erica Norwood came of the bench in the second half to provide a defensive spark and tally 11 points to help Furman past Mercer, 73-64, in women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

Griswold scored 10 of her 17 points in the first half to lead the Paladins (3-1) to a 40-29 halftime lead, but it was Norwood's play that proved most decisive, as the freshman guard entered the contest with 13 minutes remaining and the scored tied at 47-47 after the Bears (3-2) had erased Furman's halftime advantage.

Once on the floor the 5-foot-3 Norwood quickly cooled off Mercer guard Precious Bridges, whose seven points — part of her 17-point performance — had helped the Bears open the second half with a 16-2 run to take a 45-43 lead following a Bridges jump shot at the 15:34 mark.

With the game tied at 51-51, Furman, using a Brittany Hodges layup and Griswold jumper and 3-pointer, seized a 58-51 advantage with eight minutes to go.

A Kelsey Ellis jump shot at the 4:40 juncture pushed the lead to 63-54 before Mercer responded with a 6-0 spurt to cut it to 63-60 on a Tabitha Bradshaw layup with 2:47 remaining.

Following a flurry of missed shots by both teams over the next two minutes, Norwood was fouled with 1:04 to go and sent to the free throw line, where she converted a pair of shots for a 65-60 lead on the way to game ending stretch of 10 consecutive made free throws by the Paladin newcomer.

"Erica did a great job of pressuring their guards and creating some trouble for them," said Furman head coach Jackie Carson.  I'm really proud of the way she responded.  We knew she was an outstanding free throw shooter.  She did a great job of controlling the tempo. putting pressure on their ball handlers, and getting to the free throw line."

Norwood, who tallied all 11 of her points at the line, also added two assists and a steal in 12 minutes of action.

Mercer's Kendra Grant led all scorers with 24 points.  Bridges, the Bears' leading scorer on the young season, produced her 17 points on just 6-of-25 shooting.  Teanna Robinson finished with 10 points and a game high 14 rebounds.

Mercer shot 40.0 percent from the field, connecting on 28-of-70 shots, and notched a 47-38 rebounding advantage, including a 28-19 margin on the offensive glass, but the Bears were outscored 28-6 at the free throw line by the Paladins, who drained 28-for-33 opportunities.

The Paladins play at Georgia on Wednesday in a 7:00 p.m. game.